Fire at The Oven East causes up to $200,000 in damage

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — An Oven fire on Saturday burned more than food.

The Oven East, a popular Indian restaurant near 70th Street and Pioneers Boulevard, sustained $150,000 to $200,000 in damage from a blaze that burned for almost four hours.

Lincoln Fire & Rescue says the alarm system alerted the building owner by email at about 3:45 a.m., but the owner didn’t see the email.

Roofers in the area reported the fire when they saw smoke about 8 a.m.

Crews arrived to find a small fire in a corner of the kitchen, according to Battalion Chief Lloyd Mueller.

The flames had burned through the ceiling and burst a water pipe, which contained the fire.

The building doesn’t have a sprinkler system, according to LFR.

Mueller said the blaze was caused by a dehydrator that was left on.

The restaurant will be closed for some time.